We are in the THICK of back-to-school madness at the stores!
Here are my favorite supply deals for the week ahead:
::Staples
This week, when you buy a backpack, you’ll get the full value back as a Staples Gift Card! According to Hip2Save there is a limit of 1 per person. This offer is good by phone, online, or in-store. I’d get there tomorrow for the best selection.
For additional Staples deals this week and a nice scenario idea, see Hip2Save.
::Fred Meyer
Crayola 24-ct crayons are $0.25 each. This is about as low as I’d expect this item to go. At that price, I pick up a few packs to keep on hand throughout the year!
::Office Max
If you have an Office Max Perk account (businesses/teachers only), you can score up to TWO free backpacks this week after rewards! There are a few other freebies as well for Perk account holders including non-view binders, Sharpie markers, copy paper and notebooks.
For details, as well as sale items available to everyone, please see Common Sense with Money.
::Office Depot
There are a few notables at Office Depot this week, too. An Office Depot acrylic ruler is only $0.05 and a 6-pack wire bound notebooks is only $0.50! See Money Saving Mom for more.
::Walgreens
Believe it or not, Walgreens is a store to watch as well! Besides, some of the school supplies may make great filler items for your Register Rewards transactions. Of note this week, 9-cent 2-prong folders, $0.59 filler paper,AND $0.39 Posterboard. See my Walgreens deals post for the week for more information.
Did you find any additional school supply deals for the week?
It’s July! It’s summer! Time to think about…back to school?!
Here are a few I was able to wrangle for you for the week ahead.
Staples
Spend $5 or more, get the following for a penny each (Sun – Wed only):
Yellow #2 Pencils, 8 pack, $0.01 (limit 2)
2-Pocket folder with fasteners, $0.01 (limit 10)
Buy 1 Staples Multi-purpose paper for $4.99, get a $4.98 rebate (limit 2)
Incidentally, last year Staples had the penny deals without the $5 requirement. Hmm. For more on the Staples deal, see Money Saving Mom.
Target
2 items are priced at $0.50 this week:
Roseart crayons, $0.50
2-pack glue stick, $0.50
While these might seem pretty good (and I suppose they are), you might want to bet it out and wait a bit. If I recall correctly, at one point Target had the Crayola crayons as low as $0.25 last year. Can anyone confirm? Thanks again, Money Saving Mom!
Office Depot
A couple freebies after rebate:
Mr. Sketch Markers, 12-pack, $7.99 (Limit 1)*
Swingline Light Touch Stapler, $13.99 (Limit 1)
*If I think hard enough, I conjure up the smell of the black licorice, lemon, and grape markers…oh memories…
For more on these and other Office Depot deals, head over to Deal Seeking Mom!
Finally, don’t forget to watch the drugstores for great stock-up prices! Walgreens has a few school supplies on great prices this week, too.
From now through May 8th, Staples has cut the prices of select bookcases by 50%!
For instance, this cherry 3-shelf bookcase was $49.99, but right now it’s only $24.99. According to Dealnews, shipping adds an extra $9.95, or is free if your total order is $50 or more. Another option would be to have your order shipped to your nearest Staples location – this will keep it free as well. You can find all the bookcases on sale HERE.
To sweeten the deal, Shop at Home is offering 3% cash back on your Staples purchase! Go HERE to learn more.
Need some more paper to print out your coupons? I got a deal for you this morning.
First, it's important to note you'll need to be an Office Max MaxPerks member. It's free to join and you can do so here. (EDITED TO ADD: A reader pointed out that MaxPerks is apparently designed for business and teachers. I (apologize for this glaring oversight. Fellow bloggers, PLEASE tell me you are operating under a business license! If so, you're a business!) They have THREE items this week that you'll receive Office Max credit for (in other words, if you spent $35 on the paper, you'll earn a $35 Office Max gift card – make sense?) Here's the first item:
If you notice you can buy TWO and get rebates for each! Nice, huh? Ready for item number two?
And you can buy up to THREE packs of the Sharpies! WOW, my couponer's heart is a-fluttering right about now. But there's more…
Envelopes! Limit 3.
Now, here's the kicker. When you spend $50 or more, you get FREE shipping. Rhode Island Frugal Mama came up with this great scenario:
Buy:
1 Case Paper – $34.99
2 Sharpie Markers – $11.98 ($5.99 each)
1 Envelopes – $3.99
Total: $50.96
Get your order shipped for FREE, PLUS earn a $50 Office Max gift card for future use!
Want to sweeten the deal even more? Go through Ebates and you'll also earn 3% cash back on your order.
Thanks, Rhode Island Frugal Mama!
Did you know that this is the time of year to stock up on batteries? I noticed this last year, too. I think it’s because everyone is buying toys and electronics as gifts that require them, and so naturally, one needs batteries.
Right now, you can essentially score free batteries at Staples from now through December 26.
Here’s how it works. Head to Staples and become a Rewards Member (it’s free) and buy a 20-pack “AA” or “AAA” Duracell batteries for $12.99. You will then be able to receive Staples Rewards of $12.99, making them free!
The other interesting piece to this deal is that there is a limit of two per customer per week – so you could potentially buy 2 per week for 4 weeks. Just remember though, that you’re paying out of pocket to buy these and you’ll want to make sure you want that much Staples store credit in exchange. So be wise.
I did a little reading to learn more how this works. First, you can sign up to become a Rewards Member online by going here. Second, you can expect your Rewards to be mailed to you sometime in January. They can be redeemed in store, online, or over the phone for Staples purchases.
Thanks, Deal Seeking Mom!
Buy Quickbooks Simple Start 2009 at Office Depot right now for $49.99 (was $99.99). Use the in-store pick-up to save on shipping. Then, open this rebate form and search for 09-88121 in the "Get Your Rebate" section and fill out the instructions that follow to receive an $80 rebate. There's even an option to receive your rebate via direct deposit!
Bottom line: $30 profit!
The free stuff just keeps on coming at Staples:
When you buy ANY backpack this week at Staples and submit for a rebate, you'll be given the full amount back on your Staples Rewards Account. This is free to join, and you can then use the credit for additional Staples purchases.
There are also a few free items this week when you submit for Staples Easy Rebates:
Zebra Cadoozles Mechanical Pencils, 10-pack $2.99
Submit for Easy Rebate of $2.99 (Limit 1)
Bottom line: FREE
Zebra Sarasa retractable gel pens, 5-pack $4.99
Submit for Easy Rebate of $4.99 (Limit 1)
Bottom line: FREE
Pentel Handy Lines retractable assorted highlighters, 4-pack $4.99
Submit for Easy Rebate of $4.99 (limit 1)
Bottom line: FREE
Staples Supreme Photo Paper double-sided matte, 50 sheets $12.98
Submit for Easy Rebate of $11.98 (limit 2)
Bottom line: $1
View the entire Staples ad to see what else is on sale this week.
Don't forget to head out to Staples today if you haven't picked up your 500-ct copy paper and 8-ct pencils yet! While the rest of the sale runs through Saturday, these particular items end their sale today.
And do remember to print your $5-off-$20 from their website or bring the ad from your Sunday paper with this coupon on it – the ads in-store do NOT have the coupon on them.
I was able to do my Staples shopping a couple days ago and it was my first time using Staples Easy Rebate. It was an easy enough process. You receive the rebate information with your receipt, so don't lose it! Then you can fill it out online for processing. I hope to receive my rebate check soon!
